I didn’t listen.

Instead, I walked into the gym ready to begin a work-out regime on my own. I wasn’t sure what I should do first. My years of gym-experience didn’t matter because this time I was clueless. The truth is, I haven’t worked out at a gym in a very long time. But somehow, hopping right into it made sense to me. I couldn’t start of slowly. I needed a rush. So…

I didn’t just get on the treadmill for a brisk walk. (too easy)
And, I didn’t visit my friend the exercise-bike for a brief ride. (still, too easy.)
And I didn’t even do five sets of 10 with 5lb weights like my husband suggested.

Nope.

I picked up a schedule that read “Cardio-kickboxing…7PM” and dove right in. I thought, “Oh, I used to do cardio-kickboxing back in the day. This is perfect. I can start back again!” Yeah, I had great ambition. However, I wasn’t considering the fact that my untrained and out-of-shape body was not ready for such a debilitating work-out.

Bad idea.

That evening, I could barely walk. I was limping all over the place. Exercise is supposed to give you more energy, right? Not for me– especially that evening. I was wiped out and I was in serious pain. And apparently, my timing was way off because I didn’t consider the fact that I had an appointment scheduled with a personal trainer the very next day.

Double ouch.

I learned something valuable from that experience.

Take. My. Time.

This is also something writers should consider as they begin their journey’s.

A little backstory…

When I first started writing, I was ready to jump in full swing. I tend to do that quite often. (sideways look) I wanted to work on a book, write and maintain a blog and I wasn’t sure how but I wanted to write for magazines too. However, quite honestly, I was completely spent just from trying to establish myself as a blogger. So, write a book too? Yeah, right. Write for magazines? *Giggling*

I was overwhelmed and overbooked. I had to take a few steps back and consider what I was really hoping to accomplish and work my way down the list.

I asked myself…

Do you want to maintain a blog? Are you prepared to take time to engage with your audience? What will I dedicate myself to writing about? What’s my passion? What’s my message?

And, are you prepared to deal with the exhaustion of querying magazine after magazine hoping for an assignment?

The answer was quite simple for me. No. So, I had to pull back a little and reconfigure somethings. I had to decide what stays, what goes and where I can give my undivided attention.

Afterward, I learned the value of taking my time. There wasn’t a rush. I just put enormous pressure on myself to try to get to a certain place at a fast pace. But that didn’t help. It left me up all hours of the night and frustrated.

Once I learned the answer to those questions, I was able focus on one thing at a time. That helped me become a more proficient blogger and learn the value of commitment and loyalty to my readers.

Aspiring writers, take your time.

If you’re new to the writing world, I’d like to encourage you to take your time. Consider what your short-term and full-term goals are. Do you want to become a published author? Do you simply want to write to be published? Or is your goal to establish a blog and build a great platform for your passion?

Whatever your goals are, try taking things one step at a time. There’s one key that I believe will help you as you continue on your writing journey:

Focus on one thing at a time until you get the hang of it.

I’m not saying you can’t blog and work on a book at the same time. You can– just make sure you make time to get comfortable– er— get to know that part of writing well. Desire to become proficient. Get better. Grow.

Just like I suffered with soreness and discomfort after rushing too fast into physical fitness, writers can experience similar results. Usually, we end up feeling DRAINED!

Take it from me, instead of jumping in thinking it’s a good idea to go full-swing and master every aspect of the writing life, it’s a better idea to take your time and pursue one goal at a time.

  • Learn how to write a proper query letter, if you want to write for publications.
  • Blog consistently, if you have a passion for something and want to share your message with your online community.
  • Set writing goals if you’re working on a book. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself to write 2,000 words a day. Start light-weight with 500 words and work your way upward from there.
  • Be consistent in one area before you move on to something new.

These are a few simple examples that I think will help your writing career– especially if you’re just beginning. Most importantly, remember that there’s no need to rush. Each day is a blessing of its own. It’s a new day filled with grace and opportunity for you to walk confidently into your career as a writer. Prevent stress by taking it one day at a time!

Question for you:

Do you work on several projects at a time? If so, how’s that working for you? How do you manage? How do you prevent stress and take your time?

Thanks for visiting and Happy Thursday,

Kennisha Hill

Owner, Chief Operator, NyreePress Literary Group

Contact me here for your free 30 minute coaching consultation!

{Picture source: Google Images}